Summer Skies
by CriminalOutsider'sGirl14
Summary: In the middle of a sweltering August day, an accident occurs that neither Darry nor Ponyboy planned, but shows them that they might not be as different as they think.


**Summer Skies**

 **Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. *sighs* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment purposes.**

 **Summary : _In the middle of a sweltering August day, an accident occurs that neither Darry nor Ponyboy planned, but shows them that they might not be as different as they think._**

 **~ Mid August, 1966 ~**

 _Wednesday_

"Race you home, kid!" Two-Bit challenged as they started their walk home from school. A monthly teacher's meeting was taking place, which meant that school was cut short, leaving Two-Bit in an exceptionally good mood.

"Oh, you're on, Two-Bit."

Ponyboy bent down into his position while Two-Bit copied sloppily. "Ready...set..."

Two-Bit took off running before Ponyboy got a chance to say go.

"Two-Bit!" Ponyboy complained loudly as he began to run after him.

Ponyboy wasn't even going full speed, but he still managed to lose sight of the older greaser. Pony slowed to a walk, barely even breathing hard, but he couldn't help but notice a slight pain in his ankle as he walked. After a few minutes, Two-Bit finally showed up around the corner, panting hard.

"Yup. And that's why I never joined the track team," Two-Bit declared, wheezing. "Come on now, kid, I need some chocolate cake to round off this figure after all that running you made me do."

Ponyboy laughed, covering a wince as the pain in his ankle worsened.

 _Weird_ , he thought vaguely, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind as the thought of an ice cold glass of water called his name.

 _Thursday, 12:41 p.m._

The heat of an August Tulsa day beat down on Darry, like a thousand suns. Sweat soaked through his light blue shirt, his hands almost too wet to keep a hold onto his hammer. He glanced down and notices stains around the neck of his shirt from sweat, but he was too tired and hot to care. Often, it was a battle between a shirt too light that it would show sweat or too dark for a hot, sunny day. Though every time comfort won over looks, although there was no such thing as "comfortable" on a day as ungodly hot as this one.

The day seemed to tick by in slow motion, the heat slowing down everything: time, production, and even thinking felt like Darry was trying to swim through molasses. The action of thinking about how hot it was took too much effort.

Around one o'clock, when his boss yelled that Darry had a phone call, as mad as he knew his boss would get at the wasted time, it was a welcomed reprieve from melting in the sun on top of a roof. However, the phone call revealed something that Darry never wanted to hear, and sent him driving across Tulsa with his heart in his throat.

 _Thursday, 12:29 p.m._

The sun was at its highest point, burning the back of Ponyboy's neck as he ran. He felt a slight pull in his ankle as he ran, but he did his best to ignore it. Still, his relay team went from second to fourth place by the time Pony crossed the finish line.

"Curtis! Switch with Alvarez. I want Williams and Neworner with Edwards for this next run. Come on guys, I know it's hot, but you gotta keep pushing!"

Ponyboy walked over to his new position, his hand held behind his back, ready to take hold of the baton as one of his teammates, Thomas Evans, came around the corner. As soon as he felt the baton between his fingers, he took off towards the finish line. Despite a stinging, pulsing pain that wrapped around his ankle and under his foot, he kept pushing.

Suddenly, a few feet before the finish line, Ponyboy found himself sliding across the track, his ankle having given out underneath him. His leg felt like it was being burnt with acid from the inside out, and to keep from crying in front of his teammates, he bit down on his lip so hard he tasted blood.

"Curtis!" His coach appeared in Ponyboy's field of vision, his face full of concern. "Can you stand at all?"

Without even testing it, Ponyboy shook his head. He knew he wouldn't be able to. He found himself rocking back and forth slightly as he brought his good leg to his chest, trying in any and all ways possible to deal with the pain, to make it subside to a bearable level.

"Alvarez, get the nurse out here with a wheelchair," Coach Wireman instructed before calming telling Ponyboy to try and take a deep breath. Ponyboy tried to, but he ended up just choking on a strangled sob.

After an agonizingly long wait, the nurse appeared, wheelchair in tow. The coach helped Ponyboy stand up and maneuver into the wheelchair, and then it was practice as usual as the nurse wheeled Ponyboy over to the curb, away from everyone practicing.

"I called your brother, sweetheart. He'll be here in just a few to take you to the doctors."

"Which brother?" Ponyboy asked.

The nurse told him she had called Darry, much to Ponyboy's disappointment. If he was honest, he wanted his kind, gentle brother who would comfort him rather than his strong, but brooding oldest brother who would more than likely be beyond mad at the loss of half a day's pay.

Ponyboy looked down at the grass, lost in thought, until he heard the sound of a car pulling up. In the blink of an eye Darry was out of the vehicle and shaking hands with the school nurse.

"You okay, Pony?"

"Yeah," Ponyboy lied. "I just- I can't out any weight on it."

Swiftly, Darry picked up Ponyboy bridal-style and carried him to the passenger seat, gently laying him down. As Ponyboy sat, his eyes tearing up from the pain, Darry talked to the nurse for a few agonizing seconds before hopping in the driver's seat.

"How bad does it hurt, kiddo?"

"It's okay," Ponyboy lied. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it hurt. He wanted to cry, but he wouldn't dare cry in front of Darry. He wasn't the kind of guy you cried in front of, that's just how it was. Again, Ponyboy ached for Soda, but he pushed it down.

Darry sighed, seeing through Ponyboy's lie. "You gotta be more careful, Pone."

"Yeah, because my whole goal today was to hurt my ankle and make you take me to the hospital. Had it all planned out even before I woke up," Ponyboy muttered. Darry opened his mouth, but quickly closed it, the unsaid words resting on the edge of his tongue with no idea how to say them.

 _Thursday, 6:44 p.m._

Five hours and a walking boot later, Ponyboy was told he had to be in the boot for six weeks, and after that a doctor would see him to clear him for activities like track.

"If you would have tried to walk on that ankle, you would be looking at surgery. You're lucky it's just a boot and that you're ligament didn't tear completely, that it only was stretched. Be more careful next time, alright?" The doctor warned as Darry and Ponyboy began to leave.

Darry trailed ahead as Ponyboy awkwardly tried to maneuver himself with the boot on. It was at least four inches taller than his other foot, much heavier than he expected, and even though it didn't cover his knee, it was harder to bend his leg in. Darry could help but laugh as they settled into the truck.

"What, Darry? What's so funny?"

"Nothing. You just look funny when you walk is all."

"I'm glad my pain is so amusing," Ponyboy said emotionlessly, but he wasn't mad. He knew how he looked; one leg bent and the other one straight, limping as he heaved his heavy leg forward, leaning up on the boot as he took each step, his body rising and falling with the difference in heights of his shoes. It was a sight to see.

"You'll get used to it eventually."

"Yeah, I just wish I could still do track is all. By the time I get outta this thing, track season'll be over."

"There's always next year," Darry tried lamely, but Ponyboy just shrugged.

"Hey, Pony?" Darry finally asked after a few beats of silence.

"Yeah?"

"What I meant earlier was, uh, could you try and be a little more careful? Take it easy, alright? I just don't want you getting hurt."

Ponyboy looked over at Darry, really looked at him. And for the first time he didn't see a strict guardian, or the man who seemed to yell at him daily. He saw his older brother, who he loved, who was working hard and trying to navigate how to raise two teenage boys. And with a smile Ponyboy responded,

"Yeah, Dar, I'll be more careful next time. Promise."

 **A/N: I'm not even sure how I feel about this one. I almost didn't even post it, but after staring at it for a few days I finally just decided it really can't do any harm. I had such a great vision for this, but I don't really think that it ever came together right. However, some feedback, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated. :) I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this just okay story.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Stay Gold,**

 **~ Alee XxX**


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